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License Plate Gallery

License Plate Sticker Colours, Part 3: 2001-2020

These tables summarize the colours of validation stickers used on passenger-car, light truck, and motorcycle license plates in all North American jurisdictions during the twenty years prior to 2021. As this reference is intended for collectors of expired plates, current stickers are not depicted.

Several interesting trends have come about in this time. One is the increasing use of point-of-sale terminals to generate license plate renewals and print validation stickers on demand. These systems often utilize laser printers, and allow for the license plate number to be printed on the sticker itself. Unfortunately, these trends have been regressive in terms of aesthetics and utility. Thirteen of the states that use such a system don't even bother changing the sticker stock colour from year to year, making it impossible to tell at a glance whether a tag has expired or not. Many more no longer use colour schemes that involve print colours other than black.

Another emerging trend has been the elimination of plate stickers themselves: Due to the growing ubiquity of computers in law-enforcement work, police officers can access details about registration records without needing to rely on stickers to establish validity. Validation stickers have been eliminated altogether by Quebec, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, and Manitoba in Canada as well as New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania in the U.S., while New York, Texas, and the D.C. reserve plate stickers for motorcycles and trailers only.

Canada
< British Columbia 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Alberta 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Saskatchewan 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 Stickers discontinued after 2013.
Manitoba 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Ontario Jan-Mar 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Apr-Jun 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
< Jul-Sep 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Oct-Dec 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Quebec Validation stickers discontinued after 1992.
New Brunswick 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Nova Scotia 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Prince Edward Island 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
< Newfoundland & Labradora 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Yukona 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Northwest Territories 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12b 13 14 15 Stickers discontinued.
Nunavut 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17c 18 19 20

a The province of Newfoundland officially changed its name to "Newfoundland & Labrador" in 2001, and the Yukon Territory officially changed its name to simply "Yukon" in 2002. In both cases, this happened decades after the revised names first appeared on license plates.

b Later examples of Northwest Territories '12 stickers were white on green:

12

c Some examples of these stickers were black on white.


United States
< Alabama 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18a 19a 20
Alaska 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12a 13a 14a 15 16a 17 18 19 20
Arizona Emission 01 02 03 04 05 06 07b 08c 09b 10b 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Non-emission 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
Arkansas 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
California 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
< Colorado Emission 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Non-emission 01 02 03
Connecticut 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09d 10d 11d 12d Stickers discontinued.
Delaware Colours vary. e f 11f 12f 13f 14f 15f 16f 17f 18 19 20
District of Columbia 01 02 03g 04g 05d 06d 07d 08d 09d 10d 11d 12d 13d 14d 15d ? 17d ? 19d 20d
Florida 01h 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
< Georgia 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09i 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Hawaii 01 02 03 04a 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Idaho 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08b 09a 10a 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Illinois 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Indiana 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Iowa 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
< Kansas 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Kentucky 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15b 16b 17 18 19 20
LouisianaCars 01 02 03b 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Trucks/MCs 04
Maine 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Maryland 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09ab 10b 11b 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
< Massachusetts 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Michigan 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Minnesota 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Mississippi 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Missouri 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
MontanaCars 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
< Motorcycles 01 PERM Validation stickers discontinued after 2003.
Nebraska 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Nevada 01 02 03 04a 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
New Hampshire 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
New Jersey 01 02 03 04 05 06d 07d 08d 09d 10d 11d Stickers discontinued after 2011.
New Mexico 01b 02b 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
< New York (motorcycles) 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
North Carolina 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16b 17 18 19 20
North Dakota 01 02 03 04 05a 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ohio 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Oklahoma Regular 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Special 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Oregon 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
< Pennsylvania 01g 02g 03g 04g 05g 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18j 19j 20j 21j
Rhode Island 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
South Carolina 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
South Dakota 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Tennessee 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
< Texas (motorcycles) 01 02 03 04 05b 06b 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Utah 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Vermont 01 02 03 04b 05b 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Virginia 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Washington 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
West Virginia 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
< Wisconsin 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Wyoming 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

a Some examples of these stickers had black characters on a colour background.

b Some examples of these stickers were black on white.

c Some examples of these stickers were white on black.

d Issued to motorcycles only. Passenger cars issued windshield stickers instead (except for 2006-11 New Jersey, where no visible validation was used).

e Beginning in December 2005, newly-issued Delaware validation stickers have been black on white regardless of month and year. Expirations from December '06 to (presumably) November '10 existed in both old and new colour schemes.

f Stickers used on Delaware's optional "Centennial Plate" base (introduced October 2008) have been black on gold.

g Or windshield/window sticker.

h Some examples of these stickers were black on yellow.

i Later examples of these stickers had black print and white fields on a colour background.

j Pennsylvania discontinued license plate stickers in 2017. Stickers expiring in 2018 or later were issued primarily to trailers with long-term expirations.

With thanks to: Keith Dickson, Terence Dyson-Curran, Jeff Ellis, Mike Franks, Jimmy Harper, Josh King, Wayne MacKinnon, Eric Maki, John Northup, Mark O'Neil, Eric Tanner, Matthew Thoreson, and Kevin Tucker.

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Last update 23 September 2023.